Wisdom – Page 3 – Just Keith Harris

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 17

For the month of October, we are answering the challenge John Goldwater, pastor of Christ Community Church in Grenada, MS, laid out — the #DailyWisdomChallenge. Each day, we are going to read through a chapter of Proverbs corresponding to the day of the month.

This fits with what we have studied in Colossians, specifically Colossians 3:1-2, namely that we should seek “the things that are above, where Christ is” and set our minds like a thermostat “on things that are above, not on things that are on earth”. Imagine what a month meditating on God’s Word daily can do for us.

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?

This proverb his my right square in my heart.

I spent the bulk of my childhood being the butt of many jokes, and made fun of quite mercilessly. I was beat up and often bullied. The bruises faded and broken glasses were replaced, but the scars — physical and emotional — remain.

This is one of the reasons I wanted to become a teacher. Throughout those years of being bullied, there were a handful that took notice, but most, for whatever reason, were oblivious or chalked it up to that’s just the way kids are. If you have never been treated like this (or were on the giving side of these sorts of encounters rather than the receiving), you do not know what a relief it is when someone notices and helps you. Carrie Mack and Linda Bumpers at Willa Wilson Elementary were blessings from God that helped me see my value despite the efforts of bus riders and drivers who were glad to see it stomped out. These ladies still to this day look for and out for me and are encouragements in my life. Seeing either of them today fills my heart with joy and encouragement and reminds me of light in the midst of darkness.

In middle school, I know teachers saw me being bullied. The example that first comes to mind is Mike Miles. He knew what I was going through without being told. He went and had my schedule changed so that I would be out of the study hall where my misery was always the subject of study to his study hall. He taught me how to play chess. He encouraged me to read books if that’s what I liked to do. In fact, that was the gist of what he taught me (other than the math he was tasked with): he taught me to be who God had made me to be and not let others diminish that. When I see him even today, I never hesitate to tell him how thankful I am that God used him to save my life — that when others worked to convince me my life had no value, God used him to remind me who and Whose I was.

There was one particular memory that came to mind when I read this verse that convicts me still to this day. When I think of this particular memory, I am filled with nauseating guilt even though it has been over twenty years ago.

In sixth grade, Carolyn Swanson saw that I had been bullied and mistreated as well. She also noticed other students who endured the same. Sixth grade back then meant mandatory PE a few days a week (some days library or music). For me, that was like painting a giant bullseye because that meant either getting picked last for teams or not at all (this was the 1990s; participation was not mandatory, and exclusion/mockery were allowed). Even though I did not want to be picked because that would mean I could go up into the stands and read rather than embarrassing myself athletically in a very public way, I really wanted to be picked. Well, I really wanted to belong.

One particular day, a group of the more popular guys approached me and pointed out one of my classmates. Me and this other guy were basically tied for least popular in the sixth grade as well as in who could be made fun of more. Neither of us were athletic. Neither of us came from families with much money. Both of us were quiet and clothed differently than others. The guys convinced me that the surest way to be one of them — to get picked for teams and get to hang out with them — was to make fun of the other guy. He had just gotten some new boots that he was proud of and had worn them to school. It made me sick to my stomach to think of doing that to someone else, but this could have meant that I got bumped up a level and got a reprieve from being made fun of. So, right there in the middle school gym, I let the other guy have it. I was ugly. It was shameful. He cried. And then the other guys started in — on me.

Their plan all along was to embarrass me and show that I was fake. They knew I professed to be a Christian and saw this as an opportunity to cast aspersions on that profession of faith. They gave me every bit of what I gave the other guy and worse. I cried, too, but not so much for what I was receiving but that I had allowed myself to do to the other guy what I knew was terrible.

Mrs. Swanson somehow found out about this, and I can remember what she said to me about it like it was yesterday. She told me that it was worse for me to do that than the others because I truly knew what it felt like to be treated like that. This was not a means for her to belittle me but to invest in me. She fussed at me, and I deserved it. She told me that she expected more out of me and knew that I would learn from this and grow into the man she knew I could be — despite my failure and because I would learn from it.

I am ashamed to say that it took months for me to get the courage to apologize to the other guy, and before I could, he moved away. It took nearly twenty years to get in contact with him again. I won’t tell you a story of apology and reconciliation here because I do not want to paint myself as a good guy for any of this. I want to help you understand Proverbs 17:5.

Everyone you come into contact with is made in the image of God. He created them and formed them in their mother’s womb. Each of us is unique, with unique features and personalities. Some of us, like myself, are more different than societal norms than others. And it is all too easy to make fun rather than to show care and respect.

This is not wrong merely for the human life you did not respect. It is a slap in the face of their “Maker”.

If someone is going through a tough time — some “calamity” — whether it is their fault, someone else’s fault, or nobody’s fault, it is not a time for mockery. Even if you think someone is getting the “calamity” they deserve, it is not a time to mock and make fun; we sure don’t enjoy it when calamities of our own making find us.

I guess this is really a plea to be kind to others and recognize that the same God who made you made them. There is never a time to mock or insult. There is always time to show love and care.

For me, this drove me to become a teacher. The examples of those who took up for me influence how I interact with kids — all of them I have and all that I can — on a daily basis. The example of the one who saw me becoming like the others and intervened has a daily impact, too, on the man God made me to be as well as in ways that I can watch out for others as well. I pray that this little bit of testimony helps you along the way, whether you are the bully, the bullied, or the bystander. Let us look out for others and look to God for how He would have us to treat folks.

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 16

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?

Today’s proverb is another example of how we can see the gospel clearly pictured in the proverbs. This shows the beauty of God’s wisdom showing us how to come to Him and the danger of the anti-wisdom of the world that leads us away from Him.

We have looked at the “fear of the LORD” in most every chapter of Proverbs so far. To understand the “fear of the LORD” in the context of the gospel is especially important in present-day America when many preachers use fear as a means for convincing people to walk an aisle and make a decision for Jesus. This sort of fear-driven invitation time leads can lead to confusion and false conversion — and people wanting to be “re-saved” every time they sin and find themselves afraid of God’s wrath. When it comes to Biblical “fear of the LORD”, this definitely ain’t that!

The “fear of the LORD” described in the Bible (Proverbs 1:29, 2:4-6, 3:7, 8:13, 9:10, 14:26-27, 15:33, 16:6; Job 28:28; Psalm 34:11; Ecclesiastes 12:13; Acts 9:31) is best described as having deep respect, admiration, and awe for God. It is the basis for truly understanding and knowing Him and comes from having a relationship with Him because He saved and redeemed you. It changes your life and is fueled by having His Spirit within you and seeing Him influence your desires, attitudes, choices, feelings, actions, and goals. Knowing Him this way understands that He has a frightening level of power and wrath, but you do not have to live in fear of Him because He cares for you and His Son bore His wrath on your behalf.

This “fear of the LORD” gives us a desire to turn “away from evil” because you see Him and “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus [as] Lord” (Philippians 3:8). This “fear of the LORD” is fueled by His “steadfast love and faithfulness” despite our “iniquity”, knowing that He atones for sin for those He saves.

For those who do not turn to Him, those who reject Him and put their trust in themselves, there is much to fear, in the traditional, literal sense of fear, but this fear does not see people turn from their sin. People may curb their behaviors or hide their desires because of fear, but no real change happens. The change God brings in people through His steadfast love and faithful salvation brings real change, from the inside out.

What about you?

Do you fear the Lord in the Biblical sense, or are you merely scared of His wrath?

Is He the God of the universe or some vengeful and distant deity?

One is the God who saves as presented in the Bible. His name is Jesus.

It is my prayer that you see Him for who He is, confess Him as Lord, and believe in Him.

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 15

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?

Today’s proverb reminds me of an old Mac Davis song, “It’s Hard to Be Humble”. Check out the chorus, a satire of a prayer:

“Oh, Lord, it’s hard to be humble / When you’re perfect in every way / I can’t wait to look in the mirror / Cause I get better looking each day / To know me is to love me / I must be a [heck] of a man / Oh, Lord, it’s hard to be humble / But I’m doing the best that I can”

Mac Davis was right about one thing, it is hard to be humble, but it’s not difficult because of our perfection. No, it is difficult because we do not want to face our imperfections.

As it has been with so many of the proverbs we have read and those we have covered here in the #DailyWisdomChallenge, there is a contrast here, almost like a seesaw. In Proverbs 15:33, one side of the seesaw is the fear of the LORD learned from His “instruction and wisdom”; on the other is humility — that may or may not produce honor. The seesaw illustration helps us because, as it has been on every playground since its invention, balance is unlikely because one side is invariably heavier than the other.

Talk of “instruction and wisdom” here is likely referencing what needs to be learn to correct one’s way of life. Receiving instruction can be a humbling experience, especially when you get old enough to apply what you have learned. For example, I can remember in my teens and twenties being so frustrated with people, like my parents and some in authority, who could not see how much I knew despite my youth. Growing older and having to put my knowledge to work saw times when I learned the hard way that I did not know as much as I thought, and even in times when I was right, I was too inexperienced and foolish to apply what I knew correctly. This is not to say that everyone with more age always knows more or is wiser. No, unfortunately, foolishness hangs on with a death grip until, well, death. I find it much more humbling to find that some younger have wisdom beyond their years and I learn from their instruction.

The “humility” side of the seesaw gives the opportunity for honor — to gain “fear of the LORD” and bow to His “wisdom and instruction”. Essentially, this is the opportunity to both learn that you have been a fool and have an avenue to either stop being foolish or dive head-long into being a fool. This is a conundrum people have to deal with throughout their whole lives. As bad as I hate it, being humbled — which often means humiliation, comes around time and time again. Choosing to be a fool when confronted with your foolishness is called willful ignorance; it is not actual ignorance (not knowing) but living in a way where you try to fool yourself into not seeing you are a fool. That is a dangerous way to live. Or, you can choose to submit to God and walk in His ways, which is honorable.

Up and down, back and forth, the seesaw goes up and down. Sin and conviction. Correction and being humbled. Fear of God and willful ignorance. But this is real life and not a playground.

Which side will you give weight to: the instruction that comes from the “fear of the LORD” and leads to honor, or foolishness and fighting against humility?

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 14

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?

Today’s proverb is such a beautiful picture of what what Paul describes as being found in Christ, “not having a righteousness of [our] own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Philippians 3:9).

So often, talk of the righteousness and wickedness fuels complaints about religious people thinking they are better than others or even fuels the self-righteousness of some church folks. I wish I could say this never has applied to me, but as I wrote in the #DailyWisdomChallenge post for Proverb 11, it is too easy to forget we are all sinners — all wicked, as many of the Proverbs say.

If it were not for Jesus saving me, I would have no righteousness to speak of (Romans 3:10); all I would have is my sin and the death that my sin has earned (Romans 6:23). To clarify, I am not a righteous man. My heart is wicked. And, well, not to be a downer, but yours is too. All of us sin and “fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). He is righteous. He is perfect. He is sinless. The rest of us are not.

There will come a day when I will stand before this righteous, perfect, sinless God and be faced with my wickedness and sin. Everything I have ever done will be evidence of that. Everything I have ever said will make the case for my guilt. The Bible tells us that Satan is the Accuser — one who accuses us day and night “before our God” (Revelation 12:10). He is bringing to God’s attention, and not having to lie despite his great knack for deception, our sin and failures. And, scarier still, none of this is news to God, because He knew all that we would do and all that we would say before the foundation of the world.

For those who have been saved, however, a “guilt offering” has been made on our behalf. Those who confess Jesus as Lord and believe in His resurrection are saved (Romans 10:9), and God places our sin and guilt on Jesus, His sinless Son, in order that we can be made righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus paid our sin debt “by cancelling the record…that stood against us with its legal demands” by “nailing it to the cross” — by allowing the sinless Savior to be nailed to the cross that we deserved (Colossians 2:14).

That’s good news!

What’s more is that God did not merely satisfy some legal demand. He did not issue some writ or declaration that can be passed to the accuser who is trying to prosecute us and shame God with our failures. No, the Bible tells us that we have an “advocate” who has taken our case, and his name and credentials are “Jesus Christ the Righteous” (1 John 2:1)! Think of every dramatic courtroom drama you have ever watched or read about, and know that they pale in comparison to the rich finality with which Jesus handles the case of those He has saved. When the accuser taunts and mocks, reminding us of sin and failure, Jesus answers with His own righteousness! He declares that by His blood and sacrifice — and the fact that He died and is now living and interceding on our behalf (Hebrews 7:25, Romans 8:34) — our sin has been removed “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12) and “cast…into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19)!

Before the Accuser can plead his case any further, God smacks the gavel with finality and declares innocent based on the righteousness of Christ!

Proverbs say that fools “mock the guilt offering”. One thing I can surely testify to here today is that I “enjoy” God’s “acceptance” BECAUSE I know how serious my sin is and how eternally grateful I am that He would save a wretch such as me.

How about you?

Do you see Jesus’s death and resurrection as necessary, or do you find it silly and unnecessary?

Do you think you will stand before God and have acceptance through any other means — wealth, prosperity, good works?

Let me plead with you today to look to Jesus to save you!

And, if you have, rejoice in the acceptance that will never be taken away, and do not fear the accuser. He knows “his time is short” and is lashing out in anger, trying to hurt those God has saved and thereby hurt Him (Revelation 12:12). Be encouraged and fear not, because the same proclamation that brings news of the accuser also proclaims God’s victory and Satan’s doom:

“Now the salvation and the power and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers HAS BEEN THROWN DOWN, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have CONQUERED him BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB and the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” (Revelation 12:10-11)

Hallelujah! Worthy is the Lamb!

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 13

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?

We spoke of discipline in the #DailyWisdomChallenge for Proverbs 12, and here it shows up again.

First, let me add a disclaimer that this is not a proverb or post advocating child abuse or the beating of children. God did not mean that in Proverbs 13:24. God is a loving Father who knows what appropriate discipline is for His children — and thereby ours.

Raising children is hard, but it is such a worthwhile thing. I thought I knew what love was until I met Candice; then, I found that my heart had the capacity for more love than I thought possible. Then, I heard Keri’s heartbeat for the first time in the doctor’s office and realized I knew nothing. Then, came Xander and I found yet more room and capacity for love. Add to them my nieces and nephew. I have discovered more love than I knew existed.

If you talk to me for very long or often, my wife and kiddos come up. I write a lot about Candice and our marriage as illustration for various Bible studies, but I try to lay off the kids because, well, the internet and to keep from them thinking their lives are nothing but sermon fodder. My children bring me more joy than I am capable of expressing in words, either spoken or written. Both of them are unique and special. I, of course, am biased. I am their biggest fan (by size only and second only to their mama). They are good kids. And they are bad kids, too.

My kids are not perfect, and I try to live with the understanding that I can never say what they will never do because, like their father, they have the capacity to sin and mess things up. That brings in my least favorite part of parenting: discipline. I hate having to do it. Read that again: HAVING to do it.

I have to discipline them because I want to protect them from dangers outside and inside of them.

I have to discipline them because they need to learn from their mistakes (and ones I have made in the past, too).

I have to discipline them because that is the way God set up parenting in this fallen world. It is the model He gives in the way that He parents us (Hebrews 12:5-8).

Our proverb today says that parents discipline out of love (Proverbs 13:24), and it mirrors the way that “the Lord disciplines the one He loves” (Hebrews 12:6).

I definitely don’t have all of the answers to how to discipline children, and I don’t claim to. What I do know is that the discipline that has to be done is supposed to be borne out of love. If it seems that I am repeating myself, it is because I am. I am repeating for emphasis, and not in a way pointed at others, but as a reminder for myself.

I can remember my daddy telling someone once that he was glad to be in the stage of life when my sister, brother, and I were grown. He said that once the parenting was over, he had gained friends in his children. The person he was talking to asked something, signifying that they thought his comment was odd. What he said after that is what is so poignant for our subject today. Daddy said that he loved spending time with us when we were growing up, but that he loved us too much to try and be our friends when we needed a daddy more than a friend.

When I look at Keri and Xander (and Sophie, Krislyn, Penelope, Caleb, Sunday, and Mae), my heart swells with love that I cannot describe. I love to spend time with them. I love to hear their jokes and their dreams and their complaints and whatever they want to tell me. I am so glad when they talk to me because I know it will not always be the case. As they grow, I will not always be a favorite person. When correction is needed, I am not what they want. But, Lord willing, I will have the Spirit-filled courage to be who they need. Then, when they are all grown up, I can rejoice in what the Lord has done in them and who He has made them to be.

In the meantime, the tough love of discipline is worth it because they are worth it.

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 12

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?

Today’s verse immediately brings a quote by fictional character Dwight Shrute. In an episode of The Office, Dwight was responding to the the faux documentary crew asking what the best advice his boss, Michael Scott, had ever given him. Here’s his response:

“Whenever I’m about to do something, I think, ‘Would an idiot do that?’ And if they would, I do not do that thing.”

While that is quippy and meant to be funny, it fits well with Proverbs 12:1.

I had to read this verse twice, which led me to choose this for the 12th installation in the #DailyWisdomChallenge. After having the above quote come to mind, I asked myself who in their right mind “loves discipline”? Well, this is why we are seeking wisdom from God in this challenge – to get in the right mind and thereby set our minds on things that are above rather than on the things of this world and the false or anti-wisdom that comes with it (Colossians 3:2).

My views on discipline have changed drastically over the years. As a kid, I hated it. I genuinely hated everything about getting in trouble. The older I got, the more the discipline and correction changed. The things that did not embed in me through quick punishment required longer punishment. There were lengthy conversations and explanations of why right was right and the dangers of the wrong. When I thought I knew better (and was “stupid” by hating my parents’ “reproof”), the discipline hurt all the more as I got to see my parents disappointed in me, knowing that I was supposed to know better.

As I got older and began working with kids – whether it be at church or my time spent tutoring at the Reedy Acres campus of the Baptist Children’s Village, my views on discipline changed. There were times that “reproof” needed to happen, and I found myself on the side of doling out discipline. All my thoughts of wanting to try my parents’ side of discipline quickly evaporated as I learned that it was not at all enjoyable to work and repeat “reproof” often enough for it to have the opportunity to sink in.

Now, I have kids of my own and classrooms full of kiddos at work. Discipline is part of it. It is a responsibility. It is not to be taken lightly. But it is necessary as it is how we learn.

Who in their right mind “loves discipline”, then? Well, the man or woman who has received discipline and grown from it. This, of course, fits with the parental and teacherly discipline I spoke of above, but it fits even better when we look at the grace and love our heavenly Father shows us when He bears with us and disciplines us. Read that again: the discipline of the Father is a gift of grace borne out of His love for us.

In Hebrews 12, we see a beautiful picture of how to interpret proverbs like ours today. The writer quotes Proverbs 3:11-12 in Hebrews 12:5-6:

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by Him. For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives.”

It is easier to love discipline when you know what it is to be loved by the Father. It is easier to love the tough-love He gives from time to time when we realize that in so doing He is “treating [us] as sons” (Hebrews 12:7).

If you are struggling with this, you are not alone. But, if you’ll forgive one more fictional character quote, Forrest Gump’s mother spoke true when she taught him, “Stupid is as stupid does.” In the case of Proverbs 12:1, stupid is hating reproof and learning nothing. God graciously offers the opportunity to repent and learn from Him.

May we learn to love His discipline more than we desire to do what we want to do!

May we learn that it comes from His love and lean into His discipline rather than kicking against it!

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 11

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?

Proverbs 11:7 is kind of blunt and honest and relates back to what was written about Proverbs 10:27-29 yesterday.

So often, there is a temptation for “church folks” (notice I did not say saved folks or those who have put their faith/trust/belief in Jesus) to want to take passages like this and point to those they know to be “wicked” at the expense of seeing their own sin. I have fallen into this sad state of affairs too many times over the years, and as bad as I hate to say it, I will again. In those times, it does not take long for the Holy Spirit to convict me by reminding me of the grievous sin in my own life. Sometimes, it will be past sins that He has already forgiven, but often, it will be sin that I currently am needing to repent of and ask Him to forgive.

When we talk about the “wicked” here in Proverbs, this ain’t that. This is not me defining wickedness or pointing out the way that wicked people live. This is written plainly in God’s written Word and illuminated by His Spirit. He defines wicked, and only He can make one righteous (Romans 3:10, 23; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

Proverbs 11:7 speaks of the reality of sin and death for people who do not trust in Jesus for salvation. If one does not trust in Jesus/have faith in Him to save and give eternal life, the only hope to be had is what is in this world. As David wrote in Psalm 20:7, some “trust in chariots” and some “in horses”, meaning that some put their trust in possessions, status, or even military or national strength and identity. When you die, all of those eartly hopes die, too. That’s part of what is pictured in the hope that comes from God in the rest of Psalm 20:7-8: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.” When all else falls and this world — or we first — passes away, we can stand on the hope that comes from God, the living hope in the death and resurrection of Jesus (1 Peter 1:3).

This verse reminds me of an illustration I heard a preacher give many years ago.

There was a man who was rich beyond measure. Late in life, he was saved, but one struggle, one temptation, he still dealt with was trusting in his money instead of trusting fully in Jesus. As it happened, his health began to dwindle, drawing him nearer to the Lord because all of the money he had and all of the doctors and medical treatments and trials he could afford were offering no relief. It was clear that he was going to die.

In the days leading up to his death, he had his lawyer come and he drew out his will. Large portions of his wealth were to go to his children and family, but he also divided it up so that the earthly kingdom of wealth he had built up would go to advance God’s Kingdom. He allotted a small amount of money for a funeral so that he would leave this world with only his trust in the Lord. Well, only his trust in the Lord and two gold bricks just in case there was a need for currency when he got to heaven.

He died and found himself in heaven. He was amazed when he got there and was making his way as quickly as he could through the gate made out of a giant pearl and along the street made of gold to see Jesus. As he walked, though, he noticed people pointing and staring at him. He couldn’t make out their whispers to one another and was confused and a little disheartened. He finally made his way to Jesus, falling at His feet. When Jesus lifted him up, the man asked him why folks had been pointing and talking about him as he walked in.

Jesus told the man that they were asking why he had his pockets filled with gravel.

That is a quippy story that makes a joke of how insignificant earthly riches are to the lavish wealth and trappings of heaven — especially how all of it pales in comparison to Jesus, but there is a kernel of truth in the story that points us back to Proverbs 11:7. Just as surely as earthly hope dies when we die, so does our wealth. Everything we earn goes to someone or something once we die.

If that is all we hope in, we will go to stand before the LORD hoping that the gravel we have filled out pockets and lives with will buy us eternal life. Let me tell you some good news: Jesus has already paid for eternal life by His blood for all who put their trust in Him (John 3:16)!

The only question is in whether you will put your hope with Him rather on fickle, fleeting, perishable hopes here on earth instead.

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 10

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?

Today’s passage, like yesterday’s, gives us two contrasting groups. In Proverbs 9:8, we looked at the scoffers and the wise. Today, we have a comparison of the righteous and the wicked.

We need to make an important distinction here so that I can make sure we are on the same page: “none is righteous, no not one” (Psalm 14:3, 53:3; Romans 3:10). Any discussion of the righteous and the wicked needs the understanding — almost like a disclaimer — that none of us are righteous outside of “faith in Christ”, “the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Philippians 3:9).

Sometimes we get sideways on this and talk about righteous as if we are inherently good. The Bible makes it clear that all of us are sinners (Romans 3:23). The sin that plagues our lives cannot be blamed solely on outside forces, either; our temptations often come from within when we are “lured and enticed by [our] own desire” (James 1:14). So, any appeal of an us v. them argument on this puts our “us” on the side of the wicked — and makes it an us v. HIM (Jesus Christ the Righteous — 1 John 2:1)!

The only way we can be made righteous is to trust in Jesus. I love the clarity of 2 Corinthians 5:21 on this subject. We’ll break it down phrase by phrase to help us get it (or as I tell my school kiddos, to pick up what I’m laying down).

For our sake. Jesus offers salvation because we need it. We are sinners, as we have seen above, and He is the only Savior. Sometimes we are offended when confronted with this truth, but it is good news — the God who stands holy and righteous offers an opportunity to be saved by grace through faith in His Son Jesus rather than having to receive His wrath reserved for sin.

He (God the Father) made Him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin. We deserve the wrath of God because He is the righteous and perfect Creator, and we have gone against His standard. This is not a popular view point. But, here’s the good news: Jesus becoming sin for us means that He willingly took the wrath of God for those He saves! Jesus, the only sinless One — God’s righteous standard in human flesh, pays the sin debt of those who trust in Him by grace through faith by the price of His own blood (Colossians 2:14; 1 Peter 1:18-19, 2:24).

So that in Him (Jesus) we might become the righteousness of God. The only way for us — sinners or “wicked” “evildoers” as Proverbs 10:27-29 puts it — to be righteous before God is to have Jesus’s righteous covering our sin. 2 Corinthians 5:21 shows us a glimpse of this great exchange between Jesus and those He saves where He takes their sin and exchanges it for His righteousness. 1 John 2:1-2 gives the picture a little clearer: Jesus Christ the righteous is our advocate and stands before God as our atoning sacrifice, His blood paying for our sin and covering us with His righteousness.

That’s good news! It’s tough and raw and infinitely unfair, but it is a picture of God’s love for His people in Jesus. It’s a picture of grace. It’s a picture of mercy. It’s a picture of Proverbs 10:27-29.

Biblical wisdom is knowing that we can do nothing to prolong our life and being well-aquainted with the reality of the wages of our sin being death (Romans 6:23). The hope of those who fear the LORD is Jesus, and from Him and the life He gives there is joy (Proverbs 10:28); any expectation other than what we can have in Jesus perishes when we do.

And, don’t miss this, Jesus came to seek and save the lost — to give His life as a ransom for the wicked, for people like me who confess Him as LORD and believe in Him. That’s good news for me and all who put their faith in Him. That news represents the “stronghold” I have in Him — not that I am “blameless” but that He is, but that news represents “destruction to evildoers” who do not put their faith in Him (Proverbs 10:29).

What about you? Where do you stand in the great exchange? Has Jesus taken your sin and counted you blameless, or are you banking on your own righteousness?

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 9

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?

Our verse today presents us with two scenarios that involve reproving – or correcting – someone. One goes well, and the other, well, doesn’t.

The first category we see in Proverbs 9:8 is the “scoffer”. This word is most often translated as “scoffer” (Psalm 1:1; Proverbs 1:22, 9:7, 13:1, 14:6, 15:12, 19:25, 19:29, 21:11, 21:24, 22:10, 24:9; Isaiah 29:20), but it is also translated as “mocker” (Proverbs 20:1) and “scorners” (Proverbs 3:34). Even though “scoffer” is an English word, it is not one that is used often, so we need a little help (along with what “mocker” and “scorners” gives us) understanding what exactly a scoffer is and does. This is someone who makes rude or mocking comments loudly, someone who treats people with contempt or calls people out rudely because of dislike or hatred.^[1]

The second category is the “wise man”. And since we are studying taking the #DailyWisdomChallenge by seeking God’s wisdom through the Proverbs, this is the one we should imitate in our lives – the way God intends for us to live according to His wisdom.

The whole section of Proverbs 9:7-12 deals with these two people. When a “scoffer” is corrected, he or she abuses the one trying to help them (Proverbs 9:7) and bear the consequences of the sin alone – those same sins that someone who loved them tried to help them correct (Proverbs 8:12). The “wise ” gets wiser when corrected and increases in his or her knowledge of the Lord (Proverbs 9:9, also Colossians 1:9). This wise person’s wisdom and knowledge is rooted in the “fear of the LORD” and learns and gains “insight” from “the knowledge of the Holy One” (Proverbs 9:10). The willful ignorance of the scoffer is rooted in his or her desire to do and say what they want as a means of satisfying their own wicked desires. One comes from God and serves Him; the other comes from wicked hearts and serves themselves.

The reason I picked Proverbs 9:8 specifically is the difference in the responses to the correction given. The important thing to remember is that correction is a good thing – when done correct, when done biblically. We are supposed to “speak the truth in love” to brothers and sisters in Christ (Ephesians 4:15) and put away “falsehood” by letting each of us “speak the truth with [our] neighbor” (Ephesians 4:25). It is part of Jesus’s intentions for His body gathering together; we should “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24). And, as Proverbs 9:8 tells us, the wise person who fears the LORD will love you for it. This doesn’t mean the correction is enjoyable, but it means that the person filled with the wisdom of the LORD and His Spirit will appreciate that someone cared enough about them to protect them from their sin.

The scoffer in Proverbs 9:8 is a whole different scenario. They won’t love you for correcting them. They will hate you. In the context of Proverbs 9:7-12, the scoffer does not appear to be a brother or sister (or neighbor in that sense). This reminds me of something we say often at Christ Community. We do not try to teach people how to act but rather preach the gospel and point people to Jesus (who by His Spirit changes people’s lives after He saves them). If we teach people how to act, they may act saved, fooling themselves and others into thinking they are safe from the wrath of God due their sin. So, rather than heaping condemnation on a “scoffer” who will stand before Jesus and making him or her hate you, point them to Jesus – the God who saves and loves them, and let Him change their lives!

^[1]The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2017).

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 8

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?

Proverbs 8:10-11 makes me think of King Solomon — the writer of the bulk of Proverbs — and his life.

In 1 Kings 3, the Bible records a unique encounter between Solomon and the LORD. Solomon “loved the LORD” and went to the high places to make offerings for the people himself (1 Kings 3:1). He went to Gibeon to sacrifice regularly, but on this particular occasion, God came to him in a dream at Gibeon and gave Solomon an opportunity that would tempt so many of us to respond selfishly: “Ask what I shall give you” (1 Kings 3:5).

Solomon could have asked for anything — money, fame, literally whatever his heart desires. But here’s what Solomon said:

“You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” (1 Kings 3:6-9)

Instead of asking for a gift from the LORD that would serve himself or advance his own desires or agendas, Solomon asked the LORD to give him the wisdom he needed to lead God’s people well — wisdom in fact, we are benefiting from in this #DailyWisdomChallenge journey through the Proverbs.

Look at the way the LORD responded to Solomon’s request:

“Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.” (1 Kings 3:11-14)

Solomon desired the wisdom of the LORD more than silver or choice gold or jewels, and the LORD granted that request.

What do you desire?

Where does God’s Word — the knowledge and wisdom He gives in it and through it — rank compared to lavish riches? Or do you consider His Word a treasury in and of itself?

The good news is that the treasury of God’s wisdom is open and available to us if we will but read and meditate on it!